Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-12
FOR SWINDLING.
JOSEPH DOBLER OF BBLLAIRB IN JAIL ON
ASERIeUSCHARGR.
Arrested Yesterday Afternoon BY a Pittsburgh
Detective for Doing Arbuckls 4 %.
Out Of Big Money.

1t looks rather sIltry for Mr.. Joseph
Dobler, of Bellaire. About three O'Clock
yesterday afternoon he was arrested by a
detective, on q warrant charging him with
embezzling or swindling the well known
Pittsburgh coffee firm Of Arbuckle &
Co. out Of several thousand
dollars. DObler is a well known
citizen Of Bellaire, and during the
last yea or two has been apparently well
fixed in a financial way. Formerly he
used to pick up a precarious livelihood
about the justices and lawyers offices,
besides doing odd bits of newspaper work,
but lately he has been above that sort
OF drudgery. About a year and a hall
ago he left Bellaire, Ostensibly on q
visit to Germany, and ut his return he
seemed To have considerable money, and
gave il out that had been left a fortune by
relatives in the Fatherland. Soon after
his return he purchased a piece OF ground
in the Third ward, and recent he erected
uDOn IL rs handsome and comfortable q
dwelling house rs can be found IN that
norton of the city. Not long ago he held
a celebration in his new domicile, Kramer's
band, of this city, being \ feature OF the
festive occasion. There seems to a v
been no suspicion of his c~rookedness on the
part of the citizens of Bellaire, and rs a
consequence, Debler's arrest, yesterday,
created something akin to a sensation di-
rectly il became known.
The detective gave orders that no one
should sc allowed to see the prisoner, and
A. the officer refused TO talk himself, the
facts in the case are had 10 get, but 1t Is
known that after Dobler's arrest his house
was searched, and several pecks OF letters
and documents, clearly establishing his
guilt, were discovered. The crookedness
is not confined To Arbuckle u Co, and IT
alleged last night it took a pretty wide
range, and that the total sun thus traudu-
lently obtained by Dobler would run up to
ten or twelve thousand dollars, eight thou
sand of the amount having been extracted
from the Pittsburg coffee firm.
From what can he gathered, 1T appears
that some threeo or four years ago Arbuckle
X Co. : Cincinnati branch house was de-
stroyed bv fire, and the books of the con-
Germ were lost. Dobler in some way be-
come acquainted with the fact that the
hurned-out firm had a good deal OF money
coming to il from retailers and Jobbers IN
Southern Ohio and Kentucky, and he pro-
ceeded to make his knowledge count II
hisfavor. He addressed a large number OF
letters to the headquarters Of the firm, III
Pittsburgh, dated ut various cities and
towns when the firm had claims, alleging
himself to he q lawyer, aud Offering to col
lect the money due on commission. Dobler
seems to be an expert penman, and to have
had no difficulty in keeping his letters to
the firm from looking alike. Whenever
he would mail a letter from a town land
these letters must have been sent under
cover to some one, with the request TO
mail them, Dobler wOuld write the
postmaster. asking him, in case q letter
came for Mr.. So-and.sO the name under
which he had written, to remail 1t to box
II. Bellaire. la this way he secured the au-
thority 10 make collections, and then pro
ceeded to make the debtors square up. All
the money he obtained in this way he
seems TO have irOze on to, and after failing
to receive money the Pttsburg firm con
cluded TO look into the case. \ detective
soon found out that something was wrong,
and in due time the arrest OF DObler
followed. The last place that Dobler
operated his snap was at Quaker City, ..
The warrant was sworn ont before
Squire Roderer, and the prisoner will
probably be given an examination to-day.
Dobler has a wife and five children. lie
has been in trouble Of a less serious nature
h, fore, but always managed to light on
his feet and to keep a good reputation
among the citizens of Bellaire.
Joseph Dobler is a son OF Richard Doh
Ter, the well known Tenth street gunsmith,
of this city, and formerly resided here with
his parents. lie is we'll known in this
city, and the fact of his arrest, when made
known here last evening, created a good
deal OF surprise.